Review/Film; Ken Russell On a Day In 'the Life'

By VINCENT CANBY

Published: October 4, 1991

Though the casting is not perfect, Theresa Russell, an actress with a good deal of class about her, gives a credible performance as Liz, a Los Angeles streetwalker, in "Whore," the surprisingly plain new movie by Ken Russell (who is not related to his star).

Adapted by Mr. Russell and Deborah Dalton from an English play, "Whore" is about one day in the life of the title character. Intercut with Liz's testimony, spoken directly to the camera, are flashbacks that show how she got into "the life" and how a pimp named Blake took control of her earnings.

While drinking a very dry gin martini with a maraschino cherry, Liz also remembers a few amusing clients, including an old man she used to visit in his retirement home. Mostly, though, the memories are brutal. Rapes, beatings and humiliations are Liz's lot. Says Liz of her clients: "They don't want sex. They want revenge."

For the record, Liz practices safe sex and refuses to indulge in any weird games.

The movie certainly doesn't glorify the profession. It confirms one's suspicions without adding to one's understanding. Mr. Russell treats Liz's story without any of the spectacular directorial touches for which he is known. It's difficult to tell whether this was an artistic decision or one dictated by a limited budget.

The movie looks sort of cheap. Except for Ms. Russell and Antonio Fargas, as a skid-row philosopher who befriends Liz, the cast is not great.

A scene in what is meant to be an expensive restaurant appears to have been shot in the corner of someone else's set. The dialogue in that sequence has that tinny sound that is often a feature of cheaply made porn films, those in which the actors take time out to talk. The editing is so sloppy that the film is well along before one realizes that a single day's events are the narrative frame.